


Introduction to the Thrallverse

by LCNH1



Series: WWE Thrallverse [1]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:48:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22193575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LCNH1/pseuds/LCNH1
Summary: You requested it, you got it!This is a work in progress as I decide what other info/elements need to be put here.Suggestions welcome!
Series: WWE Thrallverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1251434
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue and part 1

**Prologue: Welcome**

This “Universe within a Universe” has its roots in some WWE RP that I was a part of as far back as 1999, where during the dying days of WCW a friend of mine and I injected our own OCs into the wrestling business for our amusement. For a dozen years or so, through the bitter end of WCW into the Invasion, the Ruthless Aggression Era, and into about 2010-2011 where he influences of the Undertaker, Kane, and many of those who had ties back to the Ministry gave the WWE world a supernatural slant, a constant threat of the gates of Hell opening for Cerberus to be freed and the Undertaker to be imprisoned while his sire took over the living world.

I didn’t get to really revisit this concept until fairly recently, thanks to the misadventures of the Shield, the Wyatt Family, and of course Finn Balor. But in this, a slightly different narrative has been created - one where these energies were a part of the business all along. 

An energy that is misunderstood by a lot of wrestling fans. 

**“Thrall”,** used as a noun here, is taken from the verb “Enthrall”, meaning “to captivate or engage”. There is no light or dark side, it exists for good guys and bad guys alike. 

**“Thrall”,** as a verb, is simply using those energies directly on another person or performer.

Thrall energy is a NEUTRAL energy, unlike the Force in Star Wars. Recall Roman Reigns’ speech before he had to step away in October of 2018:

“It didn’t matter that you cheered me. It didn’t matter that you booed me. What mattered is that  you reacted to me and that is the most important thing.”

I have had the argument with wrestling fans going on close to two decades now about the “Right” and “Wrong” response to a wrestler. The existence of Thrall and how it’s implemented here is a demonstration of Roman’s quote above. 

He got A reaction. Maybe not the reaction that WWE or Roman himself might have wanted, but there was still a reaction. That means that thrall energies are being sent to Roman despite the positive or negative reactions. 

Roman gained similar amounts of thrall energies from the crowd the night after WM33 that he did the night he came back from his battle with leukemia. Maybe even more so the night after Mania because it was so prolonged, vengeful, hateful, vitriolic. People were so engaged in HATING Roman for what he had done that they felt compelled to make some noise, chant epithets at him and refuse to allow him to speak. The thunderous response to “This is my yard now,” is similar to the response to “I’m in remission y’all” if you measure it like sound. The crowds were loud in both cases, and even if they were for different reasons, they still made noise.

If you REALLY want to show your dislike to a wrestler, don’t do ANYTHING. Maybe leave your seat during their promo or match. Check your phone, go to the bathroom, refill your drink. Buy merch of a wrestler you DO like. Silence is the only thing that will stop the momentum or trajectory of a given story.

At a fairly recent Royal Rumble, Randy Orton and John Cena squared off in the ring, and the crowd went “Mild”. It got extremely quiet in the building because no one wanted to see that. If there were any plans for Cena and Orton to cross paths during Mania season that year, they were changed by that one non-reaction. 

Now think about the enormous energies given off by a Wrestlemania crowd. WM30’s “YEStlemania”. WM31’s “Heist of the Century”. The return of the Hardy Boyz. Seth Rollins slaying the beast. The Womens’ divisions main eventing WM35. Pile on the night after Mania shows and some of the insanity we’ve seen there, like Ziggler’s MitB Cash-in. That energy focused on one wrestler is intoxicating to them and a hot crowd gets their own contact high from it. 

So let me get off the soapbox and start showing you around this universe within a universe!

**Part 1: The major tiers of the Thrallverse**

WWE performers fall into these categories when it comes to the Thrallverse:

**-Blind:** These performers see this as their job and calling and only see the obvious weirdness that comes from the writers and booking in general. They’d scoff at the prospect of this “woo woo pseudomagic” idea and chalks up most evidence that you’d present them as nothing but adrenaline, special effects or coincidences. 

Examples of “Blind” Wrestlers: AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, Miz, Baron Corbin, Drew Gulak, anyone in Undisputed Era, Johnny Gargano, Bobby Lashley, AOP, Tony Nese, most referees

**-Knows:** There’s  _ something else  _ there. It can’t just be talent, something else on the edge of their senses, it can’t just be talent and charisma. It can’t just be athleticism and hard work. There’s whispers of it here and there, and that’s just the magic of the business. Is it real? Could be. (Any time you see “Know” capitalized, it refers to thrall knowledge)

Examples of “Knowing” wrestlers: Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, R-Truth, Kevin Owens, Big Show, Mark Henry, ref Charles Robinson

**-Understands:** Has the inside track of what’s really going on, whether through their training, a family line, experience on the road, any number of things that have proven to them that there IS something else. May have studied it extensively inside or outside of the business but definitely can tell it’s there. May have some control over their own and glimpse someone else’s thrall at times.

Examples of “Understanding” Wrestlers: Samoa Joe, the Usos, Cesaro, Corey Graves, Tyson Kidd, Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Sami Zayn, The New Day, Tamina, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio

**-”Eyes Opened”:** These are individuals who have not only learned about thrall, but can actually see it in action and harness it for themselves. Most main eventers have this but it’s not a requirement. Getting to this point is something discovered by the performer on their own or shown by someone who already can “See”. (Any time “See” is capitalized, it refers to someone who is capable of seeing thrall)

Examples of “Eyes Opened” Wrestlers: Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, Bray Wyatt, Damian Priest

**-Eyes “Forced” Open:** With great power comes great irresponsibility, and sometimes a performer is exposed to this strange energies and it damages them mentally. 

Examples of “Eyes forced Open” Wrestlers: The Hardyz, The Brian Kendrick, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, Braun Strowman, Nikki Cross, Velveteen Dream, Otis from Heavy Machinery

**-Others:** This is a catch-all category for performers who may not be all human. They’ve escaped their respective standard cultures to bask in the energies of thrall, test their own physical skills, or harness their own magics to succeed in wrestling. Their abilities are dismissed as makeup, special effects, adrenaline, and a host of other things that non-believers put to the wrestling business in general.

Examples of “Others”: Undertaker, Kane, Finn Balor, Mustafa Ali, Ricochet, PAC, Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, RVD, Ember Moon, Mick Foley, Elias, Christopher Daniels

  
  



	2. The Sources

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What are the source(s) of Thrall and how does it apply to the wrestlers? 
> 
> Some insights

**Part 1: Where it comes from**

“Thrall” has six sources: 

**T:** Training/teacher

 **H:** Heritage/history

 **R:** Respect

 **A:** Audience/Accolades

 **L:** Love

 **L:** Lore

**Training/Teacher:** These apply to the performer no matter what their “belief” is of these energies. ALL wrestlers are (or should be) trained in their craft and learn the ins and outs, so that the only “blind” a performer is walking into their professional career is of said energies or just a lack of knowledge/communication of each individual show. 

Blind trainers focus solely on the physical technique and presentation aspects of the business, nothing more. This foundation is critical to them and the supernatural mambo-jumbo they’ve heard has no bearing on how one performs.

Knowledgeable/Understanding trainers might give some hints to this power to their trainees or in rare cases help them feel and manipulate what might be there. 

Eyes Opened trainers rarely impart this sort of knowledge to their newest trainees since this is still the ONE secret left in the wrestling industry.

Other trainers are extremely few and far between because of their non-wrestling duties.

**Heritage/History:** In this case it can be one or both when it comes to the performer. If one is from a wrestling family, they may have advance knowledge of this energy and are mostly sworn to secrecy. Performers from such families can enter the business as Knowledgeable or Understanding and use their Heritage as a base.

Those in the family who don’t pursue the business will present themselves as Blind. If a wrestler is not part of a wrestling family, if they are astute researchers they may become aware of this possibility and start exploring it for themselves, potentially advancing to Knowledgeable through their own studies. 

**Respect:** This part of it can come from both sides of the guardrail, as it were. Wrestlers don’t willingly pass around their thrall to their compatriots, but it does generate some when a performer earns the respect of his peers for his abilities and efforts. This is also one of two places even a Blind wrestler can contribute to another, even if he’s not aware of this power!

**Audience:** This is THE primary source of these energies. When a wrestler says “perform in front of 50 people like you’ve got 50,000” is because one can actually garner more thrall from a fully engaged small group than a bored arena. The reactions of the crowds, as spelled out in other parts of this FAQ, is why even Others - who have separate sources of “magic” - become addicted to said energy.

**Lore:** A wrestler’s history and constructed headcanon of fans is a passive source that can sustain a performer when they are not performing for one reason or another. Fan speculation, both positive and negative, can contribute as this information works its way back to a performer over time. This is also one of the few remaining sources that retired wrestlers have.

  
**Love:** Similar to Lore, this is a passive source when not present before fans or other wrestlers. A perfect example would be when Roman Reigns had to leave because of his Leukemia diagnosis. This is another situation where power comes from both sides of the guardrail, and in his case it poured in from all around the world. Unlike Lore, this is a much more focused energy that lays the groundwork for when a performer returns.


	3. Matches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does one gather thrall through the course of a match?

**Part 3: Thrall during a match**

Thrall can be technically measured by the use of a VU meter, normally found on audio equipment to measure sound levels. That measurement would be seen as “raw data” as what is coming in can be aimed at specific performers inside and outside of the ring.

For someone to take advantage of that power, it’s usually as simple as walking to the ring…

**Entrances:**

One of the most important things that every performer has is their unique arrival to the ring. Every aspect of the entrance is a means to get the crowd engaged so that thrall starts flowing toward said performer the moment they step through the curtain:

**-Music:** Almost all performers come out to music. Many entrance songs have a distinctive start to them, whether it be a sound effect(Undertaker’s gong), a catchphrase(“If you smellllll….”), a specific chord(HHH, Roman, Dean) or beat(Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins). If the entrance has lyrics or a catchy riff, the crowd singing along is a bonus. 

**-Lighting:** Lighting can also help establish a mood as the wrestler emerges, using color and motion to help build anticipation along with the music. Some Others will hide their own touches in the lighting or the music to help magnify that draw to them.   


**-Pyro:** While not  _ as  _ integral as the music or lighting, this final touch can complete an iconic entrance. This is an extra flash of light and noise that also brings in thrall, but not every company can afford this on the regular. These only work if they are repeated, specific pyrotechnics (Edge, Batista)

**-Attire:** Wrestlers in general tend to wear similar gear for regular matches. Special occasions, they might do a tribute/pastiche outfit. Most of the time it’s their regular wrestling gear and perhaps some of their merch (Shirt, glasses, etc). Sometimes more elaborate gear becomes the norm, such as a rhinestone robe (Charlotte Flair, Bobby Roode), a specific coat (Undertaker, Edge), or military inspired(Shield, AOP). Extra thrall can be drawn when merch is thrown to the crowd or handed to a specific fan.

**-Seconds/Managers/Valets:** If a performer is accompanied by someone to watch from ringside, they can help draw thrall to the in-ring action. Heel managers and valets use distraction tactics to allow their performer to cheat and draw thrall to both, more to the in-ring performer overall. If the heel ringside assistance is ejected, this is usually a huge boost to the face. 

**-Tag Team Partner/Stablemates:** If your “second” is a tag partner or part of that performer’s stable, they also benefit from any thrall their partner is garnering from the crowd. They get more for actually assisting in the match dynamic. 

**-Gestures, poses and stride:** Not everyone has all three of these, but this little piece of ceremony is also helpful. AJ’s crossed palms(with custom gloves), Zack Ryer’s “L I” hand gesture, Roman’s Lock and Load, The Y2J back pose. Most wrestlers interact with the crowd as they walk/march to the ring, which helps in small doses(hand slapping, sign acknowledging, taunting fans on the ramp). Once in the ring there may be further ceremony: posing on the corners, pointing out more signs, testing the ropes. While uncommon, performers interacting with the ring announcer or referee can get a few extra “points”, but this is used sparingly.

All of the above can be magnified by:

**-Debut:** New arrivals usually elicit a stronger reaction.

**-Return:** A wrestler coming back from injury or from another company can usually get a magnified reaction

**-Surprise:** If either of these are a surprise, the effect is magnified still. 

  
  


**The match itself:**

The crowd reactions from the entrance alone pumps up the performers for their bout. So how about when the bell rings and the match begins?

**Clapping/Rally clap:** If the face starts the clapping for the crowd early in the match, it mostly benefits the face but is motivating for the heel. The crowd clapping to rally a face only benefits the face.

**Chants:** There are a few categories of chants:

**-”Name” chants:** Typically when a crowd is chanting “Let’s go _____” or maybe just the performer’s name. Benefits the target only, even if heel name calling is considered derogatory.

**-Cross-chants:** If both wrestlers are popular the crowd might split and chant back and forth for the performers. Both benefit from this. “Singular” cross-chants (Let’s go Cena/Cena Sucks) only benefits the target. 

**-Random chants:** Typically during promos and non-match confrontations, every performer has the goal of getting one of these going. The weirder and more unique, the better. The night after Wrestlemania is notorious for these.

**-”Bored” chants:** This isn’t just the singsong-y “borrrr-iiinng” you’ll hear at some shows. Wrestling fans get bored some nights and will start randomly chanting for the announcers, the referee, themselves, or for people no longer with the company. This is the ONLY time that the noise doesn’t benefit anyone in the ring and can actually take energy away. 

**-Celebratory chants:** If a match is going REALLY well there are chants that will reinforce that. “This is Awesome”, “This is Wrestling”, “Holy Shit!”, and “Fight Forever” are the major examples. 

**Other match events that draw thrall:**

**-”Respect”:** A handshake of respect between the two performers is rare but always appreciated. Same for the flurry of offense from both performers to show they are evenly matched, ending in a standoff.

**-”Yay!/Boo!”:** When two performers are just throwing offense at each other late in the match. Obviously, one benefits from “yay” and one benefits from “boo”.

**-Signature moves:** Not exactly a finisher but a move specific to the wrestler. Used early to mid-match.

**-”Five Moves of Doom”:** It’s not as blatant as it used to be but where a performer starts working toward their finisher. Usually a series of moves to build up anticipation to said finish.

**-Call to the crowd:** Both faces and heels do this for a short boost.

**-Mid-match promo:** A stronger version of Call to the crowd, but not as widely used. 

**-Diss:** Face and Heel alike can benefit from disses, which usually gets a burst of thrall from the crowd. Stealing moves and mocking poses are typical examples of this.

**-Finisher:** Move or submission obviously generates this. With finishers with setup or submissions, a sustained draw can be created. Sudden finishers are one concentrated pop.

**Post-match:** A lot can happen after a match, not just in celebration. 

**-Victory and Defeat:** The winner of the match, face or heel, will usually be the initial focus of the performers. The amount of thrall is a culmination of all the factors that built during the course of the match. 

**-Aftermatch fight:** This is a chance for someone to “Steal back” thrall after a match has ended. A heel is angry at his loss and attacks the face; the face knows the heel cheated and attacks the heel. 

**-Schmozz(escalation of Aftermatch fight):** While this can also happen during a match, this is common after matches if more than just the participants of the initial match get involved. Thrall incoming from these bouts won’t always go to those who initiated it, but if the fight is settled at some point those who are still standing will benefit the most from it. 

**-Post-match promo/interview:** This is mostly a bonus for the victor to squeeze any last bits of thrall from the crowd before returning to the back.


End file.
